D# Guitar Chord | The 5 Best Ways to Play (with Charts)
D# Guitar Chord
D# (D#, G, A#) is one of those slightly underappreciated chords. Depending on what style of music you're most into playing, there's a chance you won't run into it very often, but when you do, you'll want to be prepared to tackle it head on.
Now, there are plenty of chord guides that will show you one or two easy ways to play D# Major on your guitar, but the downside there is that those voicings are typically underpowered and tend to get drowned out when you're jamming in a group setting.
So, today, we're going to show you those simple ways to play the D# chord (giving you chance to get your feet wet), then we'll be heading straight for the deep waters with some advanced D# chord voicings that will make your playing that much more powerful.
How to Play D# Guitar Chord
As promised, we'll be starting simple, with the most common voicing of D# you can find. Pay attention to that finger shape, and you'll notice it's almost identical to a D Major chord, just moved up a fret to create a new sound:
Place your 1st finger on the 3rd string/3rd fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 1st string/3rd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/4th fret
Mute strings 4, 5, and 6
If you know how to play D Major, then D# Major should come to you easily.
D# Guitar Chord - 4 String
You'll notice, however, that playing D# this way requires you to refrain from playing the 4th string, which can leave the sound of this voicing a bit weak. To correct this, we'll just need to change the voicing a bit to incorporate string 4 in the equation:
Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/1st fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/3rd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 1st string/3rd fret
Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/4th fret
Mute strings 5 and 6
One problem you might run into with this particular voicing is getting your pinky to cooperate with you. You've got to stretch up to the 4th fret, and bunch your 4th finger between your 2nd and 3rd to get all the notes you need for the chord. If your pinky skills are underdeveloped, take it slow, and try running through a few exercises to improve your range and dexterity.
D# Guitar Chord - Alternate #1
There's also one alternative for D# that incorporates that D Major shape, but adds a few additional notes for the chord further up the fretboard on the 4th and 5th string:
Use your 1st finger to cover strings 1, 2, and 3 at the 3rd fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd string/4th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/5th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 5th string/6th fret
Mute string 6
This version should provide you with a bit more bass in your sound, giving you a "chunkier" chord that will be more audible when you're playing with your buddies.
D# Guitar Chord - Barre #1
Since we've already started creeping into barre territory with this voicing, let's cut to the chase and show you how to do the full 6-string barre chord version of D# next:
Use your 1st finger to bar the strings at the 11th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/12th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string/13th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 4th string/13th fret
This D# variant makes use of all your strings, but getting your fingers that close together that high on the fretboard might prove challenging at first. Fall back on the techniques you've learned for forming proper barre chords, and try to be as accurate as possible so your fingertips don't start sliding into the wrong frets here.
D# Guitar Chord - Alternate #2
If you consider yourself accurate when it comes to picking, then give this next D# voicing a try as well. It uses only the inside four strings, keeping strings 1 and 6 out of the picture:
Place your 1st finger on the 5th string/6th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string/8th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/8th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/8th fret
As long as you're careful about strumming, this voicing should be an easy one. Remember -- short precise strokes will help ensure you hit only the strings you need.
Make Your Chords the Best That They Can Be
We've only started scratching the surface of the D# Major chord, but what we've covered today should be more than enough to prepare you for the fateful day when you'll actually need to use one of these voicings in a song. Remember that you'll have more success memorizing and playing any chord when you work at it regularly, so with that in mind, good luck, and happy practicing!